How To Choose A Cologne That's Right For You

There are two major reasons everyone should have a signature fragrance (even if you occasionally stray from it): First, wearing one fragrance greatly simplifies getting dressed in the morning or for a night out, because you don’t have to match your scent to your outfit or your mood. Second, the right scent can attract women. Finding your signature fragrance can be a bit of an art, but we’re here to show you the ropes, so read on to learn all about how to find the scent that will become a part of your signature style.

Know your fragrance family

It will be much easier to find the fragrance destined to become your signature if you develop an understanding of which scents appeal to you. The traditional classification system for fragrances includes florals (which are dominated by one or more flowers), amber fragrances (which are both sweet and exotic) and woody fragrances (which are typified by sandalwood and cedar notes).

Honey and tobacco scents fall into the leather family, while bergamot and labdanum are found in the chypre category, and herbaceous fougere scents are composed using lavender, coumarone and oak moss. Modern fragrance families include citrus-based scents, aquatic scents (which are clean and unisex) and green scents (which are light and typified by notes like grass or cucumber).

Let your personality guide your nose

Remember that the fragrance you settle on will represent you, so choosing a scent that reflects your personality is important.

- If you have a determined nature coupled with a sophisticated yet mysterious allure, select a musky, amber-based scent.- Charismatic guys who are always chasing their next adventure should invest in a woody concoction.- Clean-cut, sporty types will feel most comfortable with a smell that’s as energetic and enthusiastic as they are, so seek out fresh and invigorating citrus, green or aquatic fragrances and reapply them throughout the day for renewed vigor.- If you tend toward the romantic side, try a fragrance with florals.- Dominant, ambitious men who love being in control will send a powerful message with a heady fougere cologne.

Work with your body chemistry

You’ll likely have to take more than one trip to the cologne counter to find the fragrance that’s right for you. And while we’re not saying that making multiple visits to the mall all in the name of hunting down a fragrance won’t be a bit of a tedious process, trust us that your effort will be worth it when you finally find the cologne that makes you smell irresistible.

Don’t sniff more than three scents in one session and put something woolly, like a scarf, close to your nose to inhale between smells so that you cleanse your nasal palette. In the end, the cologne that works best with your own natural body odor is not the one that you’re most attracted to right out of the bottle, but the one that still smells amazing after it’s spent the better part of the day on your skin.